pulling the plug on pre-paid cellular

[vaskidmark]

Someone tell me why I should not go with Trac Phone and their $9.99/month, lifetime double minutes plan with an LG420 phone.

I'm looking to make calls, get awakened around the same time every norning, and very occassionally snap a picture.  I don't text and do not surf the web from my phone.  I'm a Luddite, and proud of it.

Anybody know of something better and less expensive?

stay safe.

[Ben]

Sure you don't want a jitterbug old timer? 

[roo_ster]

Jitterbug sounds kinda techy.

How about this:

[Racehorse]

We're with Net10 (same as TracPhone), and have been very happy. I had a Blackberry from my prior employer and found that I really hate getting email whenever and wherever I am. All I want is a phone. I don't use all the other features anyway. Our cell phone bill has dropped from $35 or so a month for just my wife's cell phone to about $15 or $20 a month for 2 cell phones.

We were with Virgin Mobile, but didn't like their selection of phones and the coverage wasn't great, either.

[Jamisjockey]

Not to help support your argument, but there is also the issue of the whole GPS tracking dealie under discussion in politics.  Bonus points if you can just pay cash for the phone so its not linkable to you.

[Ben]

 Bonus points if you can just pay cash for the phone so its not linkable to you.

It may have even been me that started ( I shouldn't be making fun of old timers with my memory) but there's a thread somewhere about "them" wanting to make cash prepaid cell phones illegal. Terrorism and all...

[lupinus]

When my contract is up I plan to jump ship from Verizon to prepaid of some flavor. It's just hard to beat the pricing. Only downside is you need to pay up front for the phone you want and the selections aren't as good. Coverage depends on company but typically run on one of the major companies networks.

The one we are eying right now (strait talk from Wally World) is 45 bucks a month for unlimited talk text and data. I pay more then that now for unlimited text, free nights and weekends, and no data. And that's factoring my reasonable corporate discount. And Strait Talk rides on Verizons network so coverage is good.

[Brad Johnson]

Saw an ad on TV over the weeked a new "unlimited" package from Virgin Mobile - $25/mo unlimted text/data and 300 talk minutes.  $40/mo gets you 1200 min, $60/mo gets unlimited talk.  Coverage area is same as Sprint (looks like they're piggybacking service).

Sprint/Virgin mbl is great if you live in an interstate city.  Outside that, forget it.  As far as Sprint is concerned, those areas don't exist.

Brad

[zxcvbob]

I have a Virgin Mobile phone; it costs me $5 per month for more minutes than I can use.  Sometimes they waive the $5 for no apparent reason; maybe because I've built up too many minutes and need to burn down the balance a little.  I don't think I've topped it up in about a year.  Coverage is adequate but not good.  It's pretty good on the road, but I only get 0 or sometimes 1 bars at my house (can still connect good enough for texting.)  Oddly, I get all 4 bars when I'm at my parents' house out in the sticks.  If it was my main phone, I'd need an external antenna at my house.

[Harold Tuttle]

my Virgin phone is really low featured but they have an auto top up via paypal thats 15 bucks every 45 days

[bedlamite]

I've been using a Nokia 1112 on Tracfone for years. It's about $7/month. If you don't need a lot of minutes or fancy non-phone features, it's about the cheapest plan available. And there's no GPS on my phone either.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Not to help support your argument, but there is also the issue of the whole GPS tracking dealie under discussion in politics.  Bonus points if you can just pay cash for the phone so its not linkable to you.

Wouldn't take much for them to link an anonymous phone back to you based on the call history.

[HankB]

I've had a Tracfone Motorola W370 for a couple of years - it's sort of an economy version of their Razor. It had "double minutes for life" when I bought it, plus I usually get an extra 20 or 30 minutes by entering a promotional code (found via google) when I get another card and apply it on line. Activated in central Texas, I've used it with no issues locally as well as in Dallas, San Diego, Pasadena, Cincinnati, Chicago, Minnesota, and various other places in the lower 48.

I only use it as a phone. Period. And then usually only for instances when I don't have a landline. No texting. No games. No websurfing. So a 60 minute card every 3 months - at $19.99 - is fine. (I have plenty of minutes, but if you don't get a new card every 3 months, the minutes expire.)

I have one quibble - TracFone has disabled some features. For example, if you want a different ringtone, you MUST buy it through them. (They block MIDI and other files from downloading off of other sites, or as attachments to emails.    )

But for about $7/month, I'll put up with that.

[DonTron]

+1 to HankB - my experience exactly.  $6.67/month for as many minutes as I would want to use.

And you can retain your privacy. You can still buy both phones and minutes anonymously. The cards expire in a year if not activated. I use a card every 3 months so I keep a few on hand, along with a spare phone, which cost $9.99.

[seeker_two]

Wouldn't take much for them to link an anonymous phone back to you based on the call history.

Not if I pretended to be fistful.... 

[sanglant]

tracfone has a 6something if you time runs out and you can buy 800(400x2)min for 99 or 1000(450x2) for 80. there fine. but if you change phones plan on losing most of you time. there are a few(well one that i know of[it's an lg something, and it doesn't work on old networks.]) that can transfer pics from the phone to computer over bluetooth, mine's an lg. if you need service in a remote area(that has coverage, but not for new phones), use a zipcode from there so you can get a phone that works there.

[MillCreek]

The one we are eying right now (strait talk from Wally World) is 45 bucks a month for unlimited talk text and data. I pay more then that now for unlimited text, free nights and weekends, and no data. And that's factoring my reasonable corporate discount. And Strait Talk rides on Verizons network so coverage is good.

Hmmm. Can you port your existing cellphone number over to this service?

[sanglant]

that's the law.

How do I go about transferring my telephone number/line from another company?

    You may transfer your telephone number from another company to Straight Talk online. To port in your existing telephone number to your Straight Talk phone, the number you are porting must be active with your current service provider.

    You need to request Straight Talk to port in your number, Straight Talk will process your request in your behalf. In order to request the transfer and initiate the activation process, please go to www.straighttalk.com/Activate, and select the radio button option "Activate my phone with a number transferred from another company."

    The transferring of your phone number to a new Straight Talk phone might take a few hours; however, if there are any delays from your current wireless carrier, the transfer process could take up to 7 days and in the case of landline numbers, transfers may take up to 30 days.

    Your new Straight Talk phone will be ready to complete activation when your old phone stops working

[French G.]

Wouldn't take much for them to link an anonymous phone back to you based on the call history.

Unfortunately that's why you need one brand new, bought with cash, that you never use to call your normal numbers. I guess if you want to be really uptight you use each phone once and toss it. Bonus points if your BlackBerry and EZ-Pass are heading in an opposite direction in another state.

Summary, thank god that 99% of people that choose a life of crime are stupid.

[230RN]

zxcvbob said,

"I have a Virgin Mobile phone; it costs me $5 per month for more minutes than I can use.  Sometimes they waive the $5 for no apparent reason; maybe because I've built up too many minutes and need to burn down the balance a little.  I don't think I've topped it up in about a year."

I got a Go Phone from Radio Shack for Christmas a couple of years ago which I rarely use, and only as a phone. Fifteen bucks a month, but they aggregate anything you haven't used up, so that balance keeps going up and up and they report it to you at billing time.  It's now about $107, but they keep charging the $15 every month.

And if you miss a payment, they get to keep the whole accrued balance.

Darned annoying.  I'd almost not want to know about that balance going up every month, and just pay the $15 once a month, every month, even though I don't use it all.  I don't know or care if "they" can track my movements or the people I call or who call me.

I have no complaints about the service.

[sanglant]

if i were you i would be temped to give that one to a teenager to zero it out(bet it'd be done in a week) and find a new company.

[230RN]

^ Not a bad idea.  But I think I'll hang onto it.  It suits my needs (phone only) and the only annoyance is that highly visible climbing balance.

Which means if I didn't know about it, I wouldn't care about it.

Which means it's an internally-generated problem. 

Which means I shall have to work some Magick on that....

Oooommmmmmmm.....  I will not care about that balance..... ooooommmmmm....there are worse problems you have, Terry.... oooommmm.... I banish and disperse my concern about it to the Universe..... oooommmmmm.... I shake off the negative energy....ooommmm....

And then I snuff out the candles.  (Blowing them out is considered gauche.)

Terry, 230RN

[Hawkmoon]

And then I snuff out the candles.  (Blowing them out is considered gauche.)

Burning your fingers whilst trying to be cool and snuff out candles is considered clumsy ... and painful.

[RevDisk]

And then I snuff out the candles.  (Blowing them out is considered gauche.)

I just clap out the candles.  Works just as well, no burn treatment required.

[lupinus]

Hmmm. Can you port your existing cellphone number over to this service?

Yes, as I understand it.

But in reviews it seems that this service is one of the more iffy services and takes upwards of seven days. Still, for us I can put up with a new number for spending less money for more access on the same darn network.

$45 gets you the unlimited everything, $30 gets you IIRC 1000 minutes 1000 texts and 30mb data. Both are not monthly but are for 30 days if you read the fine print. Strait talk is owned by Tracphone, so it's basically their prepaid large user service I suppose. Phones are typical prepaid but look to work, they even have one Samsung smart phone lookin thing.